


a step you can't take back

by monsterscalling



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, POV Hwang Minhyun, Rating May Change, my excuse to write dorky and whipped minhyun yes, yes inspired by high school musical let me live please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21879049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterscalling/pseuds/monsterscalling
Summary: Once equipped with a strong sense of direction, Minhyun finds himself feeling lost and disillusioned about what the future holds.It takes a new year (and a fateful New Year's Eve party) to find meaning again.
Relationships: Aaron Kwak | Aron/Choi Minki | Ren, Hwang Minhyun & Kang Dongho | Baekho, Hwang Minhyun/Kang Dongho | Baekho
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	a step you can't take back

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from the song "a step you can't take back" from _begin again_

I. 

“You’re such a fucking _nerd,_ Hwang Minhyun.”

The aforementioned nerd looked up from his poetry book and raised his eyebrows at Minki, who was decked out from head-to-toe in 2020 gear. From the bedazzled glasses to the light-up headband to the various bead necklaces, he had gone all out for their New Year party, as expected from Party Animal Choi Minki himself.

“I can see someone’s excited for the new year,” Minhyun said as he flipped a page in his book, a response that merited a scoff from Minki.

“I’m always ready to celebrate! Unlike you,” Minki said, suddenly taking the book from Minhyun’s grasp and waving it around. “You know, I didn’t drag you all the way up to the mountains for you to read the entire time.”

“Exactly. You dragged me here,” Minhyun said, gesturing to the book dangling from Minki’s hand. “Can I have that back now?”

Minhyun didn’t remember how Minki and Aron convinced him to come on a four-hour road trip all the way to the mountains. Nowadays he found himself reading and eating early dinners and going to sleep at 8:30 p.m., all activities that warranted a barrage of comments from Minki like “ _you’re such a nerd”_ and “ _it’s like hanging out with my grandpa!”_

But somehow Minki had worked his persuasive magic, and now he was stuck in a ski lodge in the middle of winter with his closest but most chaotic friends. He didn’t even want to ski. (He didn’t want to start the new year off in a cast, after all.)

Minki whipped out the most bedazzled 2020 headband Minhyun had ever seen, put it on Minhyun’s head, and pulled him up from the couch before he sank too far in. “Okay, big head. I’ll let you go back to being a hermit _if_ you come out to the party and watch the fireworks with us,” Minki said. He put a hand on Minhyun’s shoulder, and his face softened. “I know it’s been a tough year for you, so all the more reason to celebrate the start of a new one, right?”

Minhyun gave a small smile. It had been rough, for reasons he preferred not to delve into. Minki could have a point… maybe the new year boded well for them both. That’s what Minhyun always appreciated about his best friend: his unrelenting optimism.

Minhyun sighed in resignation. “Okay, okay… As long as you promise not to throw my book into the snow.”

Minki’s tongue clicked at the suggestion. “Now that doesn’t tempt me at _all,_ ” Minki said, which made Minhyun regret opening his mouth at all. With a firm grasp on hisarm, Minki led Minhyun out of their room to enter the fray.

-

Although Minki was the one to bring him out into the crowd, he was nowhere to be found. Now Minhyun was left to fend for himself, much to his exasperation.

He mingled with a few nice people by the bar, but their conversations never lasted more than a few minutes. Minhyun found himself back where he first began: sitting in the couches, just observing the fray around him.

In the center of the room by the couches was a raised platform with two mic stands in the center and a projector. Every so often, people would come up to the stage to belt out to the song of their choice. Minhyun was much too sober and anxious to ever perform, but he was surprised Minki hadn’t already gone up to belt the entire _A Star is Born_ soundtrack.

“ _Hwang Minhyun!”_ The sound of his name immediately brought Minhyun to his feet. As if on cue, Minki emerged from the crowd, another soju bottle in one hand and Aron’s arm in the other. He was red all over. Aron looked just fine, but by the smirk on his face Minhyun could tell he was having a good time. Aron always thought drunk Minki was the cutest thing ever. 

“We ran into someone from school! Do you know Jonghyun? Kim Jonghyun?” Minki said, his voice even louder than usual. If he wasn’t drunk before, he was _definitely_ drunk now. “He’s a whole weeb and almost nerdier than you, but he’s nice enough, I guess—”

“Oh, it’s ten minutes to midnight,” Aron said, prompting Minhyun to check his phone and surely enough it was 11:50 p.m. Something about having ten minutes to go left a nervous feeling in Minhyun’s stomach.

He looked around and spotted some people exiting to the balcony, presumably for the fireworks show. “Should we go outside to see the fi—”

“ _Wait,_ Hwang Minhyun! Isn’t this your song?” Minki said, ignoring him entirely. Minhyun paused to listen… and sure enough, it was. He could tell from from the guitar strumming over the speakers. He was surprised that Minki even recognized it, as drunk as he was currently.

Minki tugged at Minhyun’s arm and began pushing him towards the stage. “Wait Minki what are you doing—”

“Don’t act like you don’t know this song, I know you know all the fucking words! This is your always go-to in _noraebang_!” Minki shouted at him, now pushing him up the steps. “You better sing like it’s your last!”

Minhyun flashed a helpless look at Aron that said _please hyung I don’t know what’s going on please help me,_ but it all happened too fast. Soon enough, Minhyun found himself standing on a stage, right in front of the mic he had watched so many drunk people belt into that same night.

From his periphery, he could see that there was already someone with him on the other side of the platform. In his nervousness, he could only manage a side glance. Was he really going to sing with a stranger tonight? Didn’t he just say he was too sober to do something like this?

As the intro continued, a countdown popped up on the screen. He was shaking, but like Minki said, this _was_ one of his favorite songs. _It shouldn’t be too bad… right?_

Minhyun gripped onto the mic, keeping his eyes trained on the monitor. He didn’t need the lyrics, but it was better to look there than at the people around them, or Minki and Aron staring up at him, or the stranger standing just a few feet away from him. He should have just stepped away, but the song was about to start. The words appeared now. Minhyun took a deep breath.

He was going to end Choi Minki after this.

“Please don’t see just a boy caught up in dreams and fantasy…”

_Oh._ Singing on stage was not as bad as he had imagined. He was still shaking, but he could just pretend he was in one of their usual late-night _noraebang_ sessions.

“I’ll be damned, Cupid’s demanding back his arrow…”

It was was still weird to sing for him to sing in public, much more with a person he didn’t even _know_ , but at least he wasn’t butchering it. Maybe the other guy would be too drunk to continue the song and they could just end it there, and Minhyun could proceed to strangle Choi Minki.

“So let’s get drunk on our tears and—”

“—God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young…”

Minhyun’s eyes widened as he turned to look at the man standing at the other side of the platform who had just started singing, eyes closed and all. Who in the world…?

“It’s hunting season, and the lambs are on the run searching for meaning…”

As the man continued to sing, Minhyun could feel his heart race faster and faster. Whoever he was, his tone was so round and warm and inviting… The kind of voice that wraps you like a blanket on a cold day.

“Maybe we’ll find a brand new ending, where we’re dancing in our tears and God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young—”

Minhyun got so caught up in his staring that he nearly forgot he was onstage, and that his part of the duet was coming on. He held more tightly onto the mic, turning his attention back to the screen. He felt his ears turning more red with each passing moment.

Eventually their parts interchanged, going back-and-forth again and again. His first conversation with this stranger. “I thought I saw you crying—”

“—I thought I heard you call my name—”

“—And I thought I heard out there crying—”

The words on the screen were highlighted purple now, signaling that their parts were converging. Right as they were about to sing together, Minhyun looked in the other man’s direction, just to see he was looking his way too. Their eyes met and stayed, just as the song came to a close.

“But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark…”

They still looked at each other, even as the background piano faded away and light applause came from a few spectators. Minhyun’s heart was now banging against his rib cage.

Neither of them moved for a few moments. Minhyun wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he felt like they might have just… connected?

No, no way. He is _not_ living in one of his dramas. Or is he?

In a daze, Minhyun took a step off the platform. It took a literal pat on the back from Aron to bring him back to reality.

“Minhyun-ah, I can safely say that is the _best_ you have ever sounded. Did you practice since our last _noraebang_ or what?” Aron said, laughing.

“It’s almost midnight!” Minki suddenly shouted, tugging on Aron’s arm. “Fireworks? Hello?!”

_“_ Yeah, uh, let’s go,” was all Minhyun could manage. He still felt like he was in some sort of stupor. _What_ just happened exactly?

But as he trailed Minki and Aron towards the balcony, Minhyun felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there, right in front of him, was the stranger.

Everything about him was already so warm and bright, from his green sweater to his eye smile to his perfect teeth. Minhyun was trying so hard to keep his cool.

_“_ Hey, uh, so I know we just met, but… that was pretty cool,” the stranger said, smiling. “You have a really nice voice.”

_Wow._ Minhyun felt like his heart was going to explode. 

“No, uh, you too! Your voice is like, so warm you know? Like it was really perfect for this song. And this was also one of my favorite songs ever _and_ my go-to in _noraebang_ , so it’s crazy that you picked that at all and that we sang it,” Minhyun said. He almost felt himself on the verge of oversharing, one of his worst habits, so he bit on his tongue.

“Really? It’s actually one of my favorite English songs, too,” he said, laughing. The stranger then extended his hand. “I’m Dongho, by the way. Also, nice headband.” He was referring to the sparkly headband on Minhyun’s head, giving Minhyun yet _another_ reason to end Choi Minki once and for all.

Overwhelmed, Minhyun took a moment before taking the other man’s hand. _Dongho’s_ hand. “Minhyun. Hwang Minhyun.”

“Minhyun! Okay, cool,” Dongho said, and hearing his own name repeated somehow made Minhyun’s face feel even _warmer,_ “I’m gonna head out to the balcony for the fireworks. Wanna come with?”

Minhyun checked his phone again. _Oh shit_. 11:58 p.m. Two minutes until the new year. 

“Sure,” Minhyun said. Dongho just smiled in response and gestured to the balcony entrance.

Well, maybe Minki was right for once in his life.

Maybe the new year is something to celebrate.

**Author's Note:**

> guess how many times i looped lost stars for this fic 
> 
> also yes this was inspired by high school musical OKAY i KNOW.. one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of our generation..
> 
> if u ever want to yell at me feel free to comment or @ realbaekhos on twitter!! thank u for coming with me on this ride i have no idea what's happening


End file.
